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Fundraising from HHS secretary draws scrutiny

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A fundraising push by Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius is drawing criticism from a key Senate Republican who questions
whether she has a conflict of interest.

HHS spokesman Jason Young confirms
that Sebelius in recent weeks has asked various charitable foundations, businesses
executives, churches and doctors to donate money to nonprofit organizations, such
as Enroll America, that are helping to implement President Barack Obama's health
care overhaul.

Young said there is a special section within the Public
Health Services Act that allows the HHS secretary to solicit financial support for
nonprofit organizations conducting public health work. He said most of the
solicitations have occurred through telephone calls, but in some speeches as well.

"For the last several months, the secretary has been working with a full
range of stakeholders who share in the mission of getting Americans the help they
need and deserve," Young said. "We have always worked with outside groups and the
efforts now ramping up are just one more part of that work."

The fundraising
pitches were first reported by the Washington Post. Young said Sebelius made no
fundraising request of entities regulated by HSS, such as drug companies,
hospitals or insurers.

Some lawmakers and advocacy groups have voiced
concerns in recent weeks that many consumers will have a hard time navigating the
health coverage options available to them next year as a mix of government
programs and tax credits for private insurance kicks in.

The administration
has recently announced it would be directing $200 million to states, private
groups and local health centers so that they can hire workers who can help
consumers pick the insurance plan best for them. The fundraising pitches appear to
be another step along those lines. Beginning Oct. 1, people can start signing up
for coverage through new state and federal health exchanges.

But Sen. Orrin
Hatch, R-Utah, said that soliciting money from health care executives is absurd.

"Moving forward, I will be seeking more information from the administration
about these actions to help better understand whether there are conflicts of
interest and if it violated federal law," Hatch said.

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